For years, hunters have appreciated that having an aid attached to the gun for stabilizing the gun while shooting is often convenient and quite beneficial.
One type of shooting aid that has been used in the past is a telescopic monopod shooting stick which is attached to the barrel of the shotgun near the forearm and pivots forward for storage and backward for shooting. This device is adjustable in length via the telescopic pole and in orientation, by lockable pivot.
While this device has significant advantages, it has several drawbacks. One problem with this design is that it has only a single point of contact with the ground, which allows the gun to easily tip in any direction, even if it is not intended. Lateral stability of the gun is important in many situations. Additionally, it is held onto a gun's barrel by two clamping sleeve halves which are held together by a screw. The retention of the pole in the stowed position is by a screw which limits pivoting of the pole in any direction. With such a design, the shooting stick is exposed to loss if either of the sleeve half retaining screws were to become loose so as to allow the sleeve halves to separate enough to allow the barrel to slip through or the pivot screw were to fall out. This could be a problem if the hunter is carrying the gun and the attached shooting stick via a sling where the shooting stick could become loose and completely fall off. Additionally, this design has only a single point of contact with the ground which allows the gun to easily tip in any direction.
Consequently, there exists a need for improved methods and systems for supporting a shotgun in an efficient manner.